We will be looking in chapter five of Galatians in which Paul talks about it looks like to walk or live with The Spirit or in the flesh.
In the previous two chapters Paul has explained that by believing by faith in the promise of God, which is salvation by Christ Jesus alone for the redemption of sins, we don’t need to live by The Law of Moses (The Torah), and because of believing by faith in Christ we are adopted into God’s family. He also shares the drastic difference between a life based on salvation in Jesus through faith and a life without faith in Jesus for salvation. In chapter 5 the difference is clarified for the reader. He makes a contrast between living by the Law of Moses for righteousness in verse 3 and trusting in the promise of God by faith in verse 6. One living by the Law of Moses is forced to live by rules and regulations to the point of self-preservation. Once one starts to live by the Law, the Law is not to be broken or one has failed at the Law and has failed to live righteously before God. One living by faith in the promise of God is found to be in a personal relationship with Him The One in Whom the believer is trusting for salvation. Living by faith stresses an outward action of dependency upon God. It also displays the desire to include others in ones life. Faith and love go hand-in-hand. They demonstrate the necessity of relating to others and sharing love with them. This is because God is love as we read in 1 John 4:8. God by nature is love. Love is built on relationships with others. The Trinity of the Godhead is a loving relationship between The Father, Son, and Spirit. It is also the starting point in which all things were created. God created all things because of His love and desire for relationship with us, His creation. He doesn’t need this relationship with us, but desires to share in relationship with us, therefore, He created us for this purpose. Knowing this, when someone trusts God by faith, they now enter into a relationship with Him. He said that He will give His Spirit to those who believe in Him by faith and His Spirit will lead them in life. The Spirit will teach the believer how to love as God loves and together they will show His love to others through relating to them. Faith in God without love is not to know or have a relationship with God. One cannot have faith in God and not understand the loving aspect in which He reaches out and desires to give life to the individual and bring them into a relationship with Him.
In chapter 5 verse 1, Paul states that “It was for freedom that Christ set us free”; (NAU). That is freedom from death to life, from isolation from Him to relationship with Him, from sin to righteousness, and from the control of the flesh to the leading of The Spirit. This is a pivotal verse. If someone does not know what they have been freedom from, they will continue to walk in deception and defeat because it will be unclear as to what they came from and where are they suppose to be going. One cannot live in this newly found freedom when what was holding one captive is not looked at as wrong or deadly.
Paul encourages them not to turn from the truth to be placed in bondage again. Paul will make it clear in the following verses that one will live either in their own fleshly ways and on their own fleshly power or by the power of God through The Spirit. We will take deeper look into the verses next.
Lord help us to know the freedom that we have in You deep in our hearts so that our lives are pleasing to You.
love Daniel
Notes: Greek definitions used from Fridberg, Strong’s, UBS, Louw-Nida, and LS Lexicons (Dictionaries)
Posted on September 17th, 2007 by Daniel
Filed under: Truth To Live By